Chinese Stir Fried Sticky Rice Cakes (Nian Gao)

Notes on the sticky rice cakes:
They rice cakes should be gluten-free, but please check the packaging.
If dried - soak in water at room temperature overnight or up to 2 days
If frozen - defrost then soak in water at room temperature for 2 hours up to overnight
If fresh (in refrigerated section) - soak 2 hours in water at room temperature up to overnight

Notes on mushrooms
Mom likes to use dried Chinese black mushrooms, as they have much more flavor than the fresh shiitake mushrooms you'll find in the refrigerated section. But feel free to use either.

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, soak the rice cakes according to the instructions in the headnotes. If you are using dried Chinese black mushrooms, in a small bowl, soak the dried Chinese mushrooms for 2 hours or up to overnight until softened. If you are using fresh shiitake mushrooms, skip this step.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the 2 tsp soy sauce, black pepper, sugar, rice wine, cornstarch together. Mix in the pork and marinate for 20 minutes or up to overnight in the refrigerator.

3. When you are ready to cook, have all of your ingredients ready. Drain the rice cakes. Drain the mushrooms and slice into very thin slices.

4. Heat a wok or large saute pan over high heat. When hot, swirl in the cooking oil. Add the pork and cook until browned and almost cooked through.

5. Add in the mushrooms and the bamboo shoots, stir fry for 1 minute. Add in the cabbage and stir fry for 2 minutes. Mix in the soy sauce.

6. Add in the rice cakes and toss very well. Pour in the broth, cover and lower the heat to medium-low. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the rice cakes have browned a little and are softened. The sticky rice cakes will be just slightly chewy (but not hard to chew) similar to pasta cooked al-dente. Taste and add in additional soy sauce if needed. Serve immediately.